


I Walk Amongst You (Like a Ghost in My Own Body)

by Maiden22



Series: The Flowers We bare [1]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: :), But it's there, Dehumanization, Finally to the Mantis Lords, Ghost is baby, Ghost is tiny and young, Hehehe, It'll make sense, Lotsa HC with infection and the void, Mato is dad, Messing with how ghost works, The Infection (Hollow Knight), The Knight speaks!, The Void, They also know Keiza's name, Tiso Hornet and Quirrel are squad in this but it won't be explained here, Traitor Lord is named Keiza, Traitor Lord no longer wants to hurt people, Writer has thoughts of what Hollownest is line, Zote is stupid, a little more info on the Delicate Flowers, a lotta bugs are mentions and referenced, a tiny tiny very capable baby, also Tiso and Quirrel!, but they speak, doesn't want to hurt the ghost anymore, eventual Traitor Lord Redemption, he's just a dad, how i don't know just yet but uwu, i am very upsetti you can't give him a delicate flower, i will drop kick him, including pale king, infection is explained oddly, just a bit, keiza is dad, listen, now you know Ghost made one, pronouns are a fickle thing in the beginning, sorta - Freeform, telepathically, they're here - Freeform, they're portrayed very young, theyre just a little baby, yes Keiza knows of Quirrel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27805738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiden22/pseuds/Maiden22
Summary: Traitor Lord would fight till the tips of his claws were null and void.Keiza was tired of fighting someone else's battles.
Series: The Flowers We bare [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089203
Comments: 245
Kudos: 207





	1. A Little One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Morning_Glory_Skyes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morning_Glory_Skyes/gifts).



> Small Note  
> Pronouns are gonna be weird this chapter but hopefully it makes sense.

There were spikes.

Spikes and thorns around her kingdom.

Traitor Lord leered at the area beneath her. The small opening she had claimed as Traitor Lord’s throne room. The one where she would strike down the traitors of his kind.

Like his sisters- like his _daughter._

She could feel within his thorns, feel a creature hit and disturb _his_ throne room. She could hear their shrieks and squeals of dismay. Did a measly Mossfly get into his room?

 _Impossible,_ she snarled, tightening his hold on the walls around her. Nothing- no one short of the Pale Bastard could enter his domain. And yet-

She twitched, neck spasming to her left as she heard a platform give way. Something she had changed to prevent those dull creatures from coming in.

Whatever it was- whatever it thought to do.

Traitor Lord would end it, here and now.

It took a few minutes, more squeals of pain and agony before finally- _finally_ , a tiny creature came through.

It's mask was one that left much to be desired, a poor mimic of the Infected Vessel the Traitor Lord has come to know. It's horns too thin, its body too small.

Too weak.

A vicious grin came to her lips, watching as her mantis underling paved their way in, ready to demolish the tiny creature.

Except it didn't.

Much like the Vessel, the creature was strong. Not strong enough as it would definitely fall beneath the scythes of its underlings.

And yet.

Traitor Lord gritted her teeth, the walls beginning to crumple and break beneath the weight of his scythes.

That creature-

That Damned Creature!

She watched as the little thing slashed at his underling. Their once vibrant orange eyes fading to a dull brown as they collapsed beneath the nail, chitin broken and spilling hemolymph _everywhere_.

A snarl touched her lips, ripping his scythes from the wall before she dashed down, body slamming into Traitor Lord’s arena.

This brat-

This foul _thing-_

Traitor Lord let out a roar, mouth cracking open beneath his mask as it bellowed from her gut.

The thing faltered, trembling as it held up its nail.

A Coiled Nail.

The damn thing must have gotten to Nosk and defeated the Mawleks to get her pale ore. But how and when did that foul Vessel get her ore? She hadn’t a single clue.

No matter- Traitor Lord grinned, lowering his body and dashing forward.

The creature would die by his hand.

And yet-

It dove through him, mask melting into a voidless being, slipping by him and dragging it's nail across his back.

_Damned creature._

A shadling- that's what it was. Maybe another failed vessel from the Pale Bastard.

How dare he- the mock King that stood above the rest of them.

How dare that king take Traitor Lord's kingdom from her.

His lover-

_His Daughter-_

_**Her people.** _

And now that bastard had the gall, to make a new Vessel.

No-

Traitor lord jumped twirling into a hard dive that the creature was too slow to move from.

It shrieked in pain, it's void dragging along with her swipe before it dashed for cover.

She would turn that thing into a shadling like the rest of its pathetic siblings.

That thing could not live.

But unlike the others, unlike the infected vessel, this soon to be shadling was a quick learner, diving above her- through him and just standing a hair's breadth away from her slashes.

And with that it charged it's nail, Arts that she hadn't seen in years, began to shine through, along with its assortment of charms.

The damned creature cheated right before its very eyes.

But Traitor Lord be damned.

They were good.

They were successful in their nail slashes, seeming to favor the great slash greatly as another hit slammed into his side.

But just as they were good, He was better.

He rammed another hit into their void, wincing in the squeak of pain and the near silent sob that quickly followed.

Crying-

Why were they crying?

They had come to fight him, just like the others. Traitor lord hadn't forced this fight, they willingly challenged him.

And yet-

He kept a careful eye on them, easily dodging their next few slashes that seemed to make them panic.

Shaky limbs struggling to keep them in place.

They darted to the other side of the room, their little void surrounding itself by Soul that was consumed quickly, cleaning up and fixing the cracks showing in their mask.

Except that wasn't allowed.

Traitor Lord let out a bellow, slamming her scythes into the ground and conjuring up a hefty amount of soul for the pillars of light that would close in.

The little shadling wasn't playing fair by being so far.

The light caused them to panic, shrieks of disbelief echoing their throat as they slammed into the pillar, letting out a horrified screech that unsettled the Lord greatly.

It was a vessel.

Nothing but a voiceless vessel.

So why did it sound like it was in so much pain?

Uneasily, he continued with her fight, sending out two scythes in succession.

Luckily, the tiny shadling dodged those.

Or was it unlucky?

They darted forward, nail at the ready and showing off their charms.

Strange- not many bugs were able to hold onto charms and use them like this creature had. This shadling held onto many, one that looked vaguely familiar-

Traitor Lord started, huffing heavily as the nail tore through his chitin, biting back a scream himself.

It was close, except now he could feel the effect the wounds were having on him.

Slowing him down, bleeding and edging away from her.

It wouldn't take more than another slash or two from that dreadful nail the tiny Shadling had.

It didn't matter.

The little one looked just as harrowed as Traitor Lord felt, tiny globs of void bleeding off their mask. Shaky limbs desperately trying to stay in place as they swayed side to side.

Maybe a single hit from him. Would end the fight-

He squared his shoulder back, raising his claw high as he dashed forward, swinging into it with an arc.

The little shadling dashed back, black void consuming their form once more.

But this time they stumbled, tripping over their cloak and falling to the floor with a little thud.

Just before Traitor Lord could take the final hit, they threw their head back-

And cried.

He froze in place, shakily holding her scythe above him as the shadling let out a sob. Tears beginning to leak from their mask and washing away the void and hemolymph splattered across the white chitin.

A child.

Traitor Lord was fighting a child.

He blinked, shakily dragging her scythe close to him.

He was fighting a little one, a little shadling probably no older than a few years.

The sight.

The sound-

_"Keiza, who is this little creature."_

_"This is my daughter, Freya."_

He winced back, clutching his head between his claws as images of a baby mantis rang through his head.

Images of her learning to fight.

Images of her playing with her mother And her father.

_**Keiza.** _

That was him.

That was his name.

His daughter had cried for him.

Begged for him.

_"Dad- DAD PLEASE-"_

Keiza blinked, tears falling down his own mask.

The little shadling was still crying, on their last leg.

Just like his daughter.

His Freya.

What was he doing?

What had he done?

But the need to fight- the need to **kill** \- was thrumming through his veins, through his skull.

Images of the tiny creature's body within her claws. Void seeping down as she crushed the mask with little to no thought.

Of hearing it's pitiful cries of pain as it perished beneath his might- her power.

She could end it so easily.

Traitor Lord raised a claw, infection dripping from his tongue as the shadling hitched it's tiny sobs.

And Keiza slammed it into the floor, infection spilling from his lips as he coughed against the burn.

The little one startled, finally gaining their bearing long enough to raise from the floor, nail held loosely between them.

They were brave- but they could not win like this.

Keiza was determined to let them win.

He reeled back, hissing and spitting as the infection dribbled off his chin. It was choking him, burning against his lungs, against his mind and across his spine.

 _Mine, mine, mine,_ She taunted just as orange began to color his vision.

No.

Keiza let out a roar, slamming his claws hard into the floor, breaking the grates that trapped the little one in.

Breaking the glass that prevented the queen from leaving.

He coughed, struggling to spit the infection out but it clung to his throat, to his tongue like the virus it was.

What had he been thinking!?

Keiza let out a garbled wail, claws digging into the floor.

The little one was still there, silent like a ghost.

But he would not let them stay another second.

So Keiza curled in his claws, ignoring the way the stone hurt a fair bit more than usual. He lifts his head up, eyes becoming blurry and unfocused in his pain.

And he sees the Little Ghost.

"Run-" Infection spits out of him, trying to stop his words like it had stopped his mind.

And the Ghost falters, swinging their gaze from the broken window to him, like a child that had no idea what to do.

They were a child.

A little one.

Like his daughter

_Like his daughter._

A sob breaks from his throat, but it sounds distorted and muffled into his own ears.

His throat hurts, it's painful to breathe, and Keiza can't feel the tips of his claws anymore.

But he grits his teeth, swallows the mouthful of infection that's determined to stop him from saying a word.

 _ **"RUN!!!!"**_ He bellows, voice brimming with anger and retribution.

He feels horrible, watching as the little one stumbles with their nail, before dashing off into what he assumes is safety.

But they left.

They're gone.

Away from the Traitor Lord.

Away from Keiza.

Away from his infection.

They're gone.

There is a bubble of defiance in his chest, amidst the burning of the infection. It's glowing and Keiza clings to that satisfaction with all his might.

With a grin he can barely hold back, Keiza leans back.

_And Roars._


	2. A Flower Just as Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And yet she wails, her screams echoing inside his head in an effort to tie him down.  
> Mine, mine, MINE, Her mind chants.

There’s the Infection.

A stain on his character, the binds that tied him down.

The infection boils in his throat and across his back, slithers down his throat and snakes its way across his tongue. He struggles with it, struggles with breathing, with moving, with talking.

Not that it mattered.

No one else was here to see Keiza’s downfall from grace.

Was it ever considered grace when he had been in chain’s?

Either way, it’s stuck to him. Bubbles of infection trailing down his back, coloring the holes of his mask and starting to fester in the crooks of his joints. Keiza can’t move, he can’t raise a claw or lumber about, like most other infected he could vaguely recall.

All he could do was breath, in and out, slowly.

Even then, every breathe he took was _pain, pain, pain._

_In._

Out.

In.

_Out._

But even with the pain, even with the lack of movement, with the lack of sound and the horrifying realization that everything in his mind was muddy and all.

Keiza was glad to have defied her.

He couldn’t bear a smirk, not like before, but Keiza let’s the delight run in his head. let’s the elation that he had beaten her, if only barely, sing through every pore in his body. Keiza can’t remember exactly what he had done, can’t begin to fathom what helped him break out of her reign, but he’s proud nonetheless.

And yet she wails, her screams echoing inside his head in an effort to tie him down.

 _Mine, mine, MINE_ , Her mind chants.

Keiza feels the bitterness begin to swirl in his head. He had managed to fight back once, and even now he was still her puppet. It was only a matter of time before he became a mindless vessel for her to play with, to wrought havoc upon the bugs that _dared_ defy her.

He can't even remember what broke him out of her hold to start with.

There wasn’t a chance he could fight her on this again.

Keiza felt numb, ready to wail at the pain that seemed to amplify with every thought that didn't align with her. Except he couldn't, his throat was filled with the infection and even opening his mouth had it spilling out like a river, burning his jaw and pooling beneath his chin.

He was ready to resign himself to his fate, his fate of the puppet he was bound to be soon.

Hopefully, a different creature would come by and end his suffering instead, just before she could attach strings to his mind once more.

There was a disturbance in the void gate, someone- or something- had managed to bend it enough to move. Keiza didn’t think of it too much, most infected creatures could ignore the burn to squeeze on by.

Shortly after, there was a rustle of a creature hopping through the spikes. Small hisses of triumphs echoing the nearly silent room, along with the gentle thumps of someone hopping and the metal platforms dropping in.

For a second, Keiza tried to look.

Instead- he was forced to stare at the broken gate on the wall towards the exit.

It didn't matter, the pitter patter of someone walking was steadily becoming louder and louder.

He braced himself, ready to feel the final hit- the final nail in his chitin that will surely save him from the Radiance and save others from him.

Keiza had lost someone, lost someone to the Traitor Lord’s claws and to her scythes.

He couldn't do it again.

Right?

The pitter patter slows down slightly, and he feels something _hopping_ across his body, like he was a mushroom in the Fungal Wastes.

Were the mushrooms still a thing?

Dark void enters his vision, a small cloak brushing across his nose.

Not that he could feel it, but he's pretty sure the cloak didn't have the infection dripping off it's tips.

The bug turns around.

A vessel.

A Ghost.

The name rattles in his head, and Keiza is certain he knows the tiny creature from somewhere but he can't figure out where. Or when. Or why.

It’s frustrating, and he can’t even showcase it.

The little one squeaks, hopping in place and back, like they were trying to tell him something.

He finds himself tracing their every move, feeling the barest hints of thought begin to race across his mind.

" _Lirgh,_ " Keiza gurgles, infection splattering unpleasantly across the ground.

The Ghost doesn't seem to mind, reaching it's tiny little claws out to pat his face.

It's a very childlike movement. Faded memories of someone, just as small and just as young, begin to fill in his head as they pat his mask with both hands.

And probably a fair bit harder than they intended.

The little one coos, stepping back and bringing out their tiny claws once more. Their void grows, forming a bubble not unlike how the infection festers.

Much to Keiza's amazement, the void-like substance pops and out comes a flower.

It's one he recognizes. One that is so familiar Keiza is sure that he knows what it's called.

The name never touches his mind.

The Ghost coos again, waving the flower towards him.

As if…

As if he wanted Keiza to have it.

Except Keiza couldn't move, forced into stillness by the infection bubbling across his chitin. He can't do much, letting infection spill from his lips once more as he moans in agony.

The little one freezes, stepping forward ever so slightly and looking at Keiza curiously.

It takes them a few seconds of staring, probably contemplating on why Keiza was still on the floor, before they scramble towards him. Comically- and happily- stomping their feet a bit too hard as they waddle over to him.

He can't feel them, but he knows that they're crawling on his body.

He doesn't know why, doesn't think much of it.

And suddenly he can.

He feels them shift, clinging onto his cloak as they steady themselves on his back, the feeling of something small draping across his forehead.

When he strains to look up, Keiza can see the barest hint of a petal move gently across his mask.

The little one jumps and face plants into a bubble of infection that pops almost instantly, coating their mask with it.

Keiza winces, twitching slightly at the sound.

He still can't move- he can't.

But he can hear things again, more than what she forced him to hear. He can hear the barest hints of the wind from the small fauna behind the shattered glass, he can hear the little sounds of the ghost getting up, making a noise of displeasure.

Keiza can feel the tingle of infection on his body, and the numbness from staying still for far too long.

It's eye opening, and yet he still can't say a word or move a muscle. Frustrating, but it’s progress.

The Little one sits up, shaking their head and letting the infection splatter around them.

They don't seem too upset, just slightly miffed at the infection.

But they get up, wiping their hands across their face and shaking off the infection like a Mosscreep covered in water, and look at him.

He can't see them smile, not behind their mask, but they puff up proudly.

Like they did something good.

He wants to congratulate them, words of thanks on the tip of his lips.

Keiza still can't talk.

They turn, seemingly ready to leave before pausing.

Another glance towards him.

Before his eyes, he watches the little one walk up to him, crouching down slightly as they waddle closer.

And he feels it.

They wrap tiny arms around his mask, leaning on him in comfort.

He can hear the chirps of their void, hear the noises of comfort they're trying to make.

And Keiza closes his eyes, basking in the warmth, in the minute affection this tiny creature has deigned to give him.

He's unsure why, or what the little Ghost is doing.

He can't fathom why they were so fascinated with him.

But he's grateful.

They chirp, like a youngling calling for their parents, and step away. Keiza watches as they walk backward, far enough to where they're certain he can still see him and wave an arm goodbye.

He watches as they jump down from the broken grate, hears the way they pass through the shadow gate only meant for the King and Shadlings.

They're gone- away from his sight, away from safety.

Keiza closes his eyes and prays to the Pale King and the White Lady that the child stays safe.

When he opens them again, he is twice as determined to not let the infection take hold of him again.

While the Traitor Lord sleeps-

Keiza _moves._


	3. A Needle of Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a particularly brave day, Keiza steps through the broken glass pane, closing his eyes for a second as glass crunched beneath him.

Days.

It took days to get any word of the tiny little ghost that gifted Keiza the flower.

He wasn’t even sure how many days it had been, it could have been weeks- months maybe. He was confined by the times of his sleep cycle, only counting a day had passed when he awoke again.

And awoke he did.

His sleep cycle was filled with nothing but dragging his body to the absolute limit. Keiza was determined to drag his body to the brink of exhaustion before he even remotely let himself rest.

It was harder when he could hardly move a muscle.

As soon as he could move, Keiza did. Lumbering back and forth, back and forth in the little domain that she had claimed for him. Not enough to tire himself out but enough to put a strain on his limbs and muscles.

His own eternal prison.

Except it wasn't- not entirely anyway.

Keiza was well aware his claws could slice through the growth of the grove. He was well aware he now had the strength to break through the concrete if he so pleased. He could cut down the thorns that plagued the Queens Gardens.

And yet he stayed, quietly making his rounds around the room, letting his claws fall as he slumped in his walk.

Keiza could feel her, feel the tendrils of infection scratching desperately against his mind. The subtle tinge of orange that colored his vision and skewing his view of what the world once was.

It doesn't matter.

On a particularly brave day, Keiza steps through the broken glass pane, closing his eyes for a second as glass crunched beneath him.

It was much cooler outside than he figured possible. Why hadn’t it penetrated his prison? Why was the cold air only lingering outside? The glass was shattered, there was no obstruction and yet….

Outside smelled of grass and flowers and those delicate little tulips that someone would hand to him. Colors of all kinds dancing brilliantly in his vision, they mostly tinged of browns and orange, like the sun was setting but that shouldn’t have been possible...right?

Keiza very gingerly opened his eyes, trying his hardest to remember.

What were the colors usually like? Why was everything so dull? Who had given him tulips? Why couldn't he remember them?

Swallowing back the thick bile that settled in his throat -which was probably infection- he walked back inside. Noting the muted way the air felt and the lack of smell.

It was the infection, still clinging and hanging in the air like the plague it was.

But- as he stepped back inside, he noticed something.

No-

Someone.

They're a small little thing. Bigger than the little one who gifted him the flower.

Idly, he wonders if they had grown up. Had he really been stuck here for years? Exhausting himself for days and sleeping through weeks? Was that how it worked?

They turned to him, sharp and swift, claw gripping a needle instead of nail. Thoroughly startled and definitely recognizing him in a way the little one from before had not.

They're mask is different as are their horns, and it reminds him uncomfortably of the mantis's back home.

_Was it home? Can he call it home when he could no longer return?_

They wore a red cloak, the collar covering their neck in a different way than Keiza had seen before.

_No, hadn't the Infected Vessel worn their cloak that way?_

"Haugh!" The creature, maybe a vessel, speaks oddly.

Keiza can hear it, he can hear the words babbling from her lips as the hand on her needle tightens, silk beginning to form on her fingers. Except he can't hear the mutterings she's saying, can't pinpoint the language or if she's truly saying something.

She’s weaving silk? that’s important, wasn’t it? Who had woven silk? Why did she look so much like the mantis’s he had left behind? Why did she look so much like the young one from before?

She’s still talking, still moving and getting angrier by the second.

So Keiza raises a claw, hoping that she could stop for just a moment.

Except the creature freezes, cloak flaring as a burst of soul flares out. She ducks, needle glistening as she prepares to fight.

Her other claw reaches out to steady her needle.

She's shaking.

She's scared.

 _"I don't want to fight you."_ The words echo in his head, reminders of someone he just can't remember.

Except this little one is ready to fight, she's ready to cut him down like nothing.

She's scared and shaking.

He pauses and takes in what's really happening.

The urge to fight her is strong, the urge to prove that he could stay was even stronger.

The urge to kill was niggling at the back of his head.

The infection still has him.

It may not be as strong as before, but it's still there. It still influences the very thoughts he had thought were free.

Except he hadn’t, Keiza was a naive fool who had assumed the infection could no longer influence him so long as he could stand. He had assumed he was in his own sound mind before hadn’t he? When She had still strung him around like a fool.

And he was nothing but a fool.

He closes his eyes, and drops his posture.

Keiza lands on his knees, and leans his body against the wall. Ignoring the way the ground quakes beneath him, ignoring the way he can hear a needle swipe through thick air.

When he opens them again, the little creature still stands there with her needle.

She's tense, ready for a battle.

 _"Leave."_ He rumbles out, hissing when she flinches.

His throat hurts and his voice doesn't sound right.

But he can talk, so that's a plus.

She stays still for a second, holding her needle tightly. Carefully, as carefully as she could, she walks around him. Needle pointed directly at his throat before she’d left his field of view.

He heard -what sounds like a curse- spill from her lips, followed quickly by a thump and the scrambling of feet against grass.

Had she tripped?

Hopefully, she was alright.

But now Keiza is back in an empty, soulless asylum. The echoes of silence are ringing loudly in his ears, and he knows that's impossible.

Maybe She had amplified his loneliness.

Keiza croons, letting it titter off into a soft wail.

Alone.

_For how much longer?_


	4. A Wail to No One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wailing.   
> He hears wailing.  
>  A wail that doesn't belong to Keiza.

Wailing.

He hears wailing.

A wail that doesn't belong to Keiza.

He perks up from his spot by the broken exit gate, listens closely to the loud wails still echoing about.

Keiza hums, thoughtlessly as he drags his body past the gate and towards the still intact wall, pressing his entire body against it in an effort to hear more.

The fauna tickles his hide, but the concrete is cool beneath his chitin.

Something happens.

He can't stop the yelp that echoes out of his throat, wincing as the infection claws in his body.

It retracts, slithering to a single point and slowly seeping out of his armor and into the concrete.

She's still in his head, angry thrashing and downright clawing against his mind trying to get a grip like he was a Stag that thrashed about too violently.

Except she couldn't.

Without the infection burning his throat, locking his muscles and obstructing his joints. Keiza gets the sudden realization how truly fucked he was before.

Gingerly, he steps away from the concrete, shoves the pain he's feeling to the farthest corner he can and focuses instead on the claws of his body.

It's wrong -he still can't figure out why- but he knows everything about him is wrong.

Another wail, except the guttural sound is echoing inside his mind.

He blinks and gets the mental image of the little one easily fighting against the Soul Tyrant.

He's a bit unsure why he knows that name- but it's there and from the looks of it the little one is doing far better than they're fight with Traitor Lord. Chitin glistening and reinforced, dashing by and jumping easily.

They're winning.

They're winning and She's afraid.

Keiza's vindictive, he's proud and nearly cheering in his domain.

_Just reach Her- all the little Vessel needs to do is reach Her-_

He freezes, blinking slowly.

Carefully.

Were they doing this all alone? Fighting against enemies nearly 15 times their size?

How would they defeat the Radiance if they had never encountered a single bug like Her?

But what could Keiza do? What _could_ he even do to help?

They were so small, and She had defeated creatures far bigger than they were-

There's a pull, soft, gentle and encouraging. Like the gentleness of the void the child had shown him before. It's pulling up, up and up and far above areas he had ever been underneath her strings.

Keiza glanced up, blinking slowly. He couldn't fit in those tiny grates beneath him- that he knew of. But how?

_How?_

Another pull, gentle and curious.

So Keiza made up his mind.

He took a step back, just a few- still staying close to the wall.

Had this been prior to his infection this would have taken him years to accomplish.

But with a hard swipe of his claw, numbed pain striking nerves, the concrete caved beneath his hit.

A small groove began to form, and Keiza couldn't help the delight rushing through him.

He was strong, stronger than he could ever recall.

Another swipe, more and more at the same spot, ripping away fauna and letting the concrete crumple beneath his claws.

He broke through- spotting a Spiny Husk just lying still, infection pinning them to the ground. Keiza winced, lifting a claw to pop a bubble before looking up.

Keiza was being called, called by someone that wasn't the Radiance. He had to go, had to run to see who it was and why they were there. Why call him? Someone underneath the infection?

He huffs, heavy and filled with determination, before crawling through the small opening just above him, slashing through the thorns that couldn't even break through his chitin.

He spots a Mantis, ready to strike him down, eyes still glowing orange with infection. A Mantis Petra, one of his own.

So Keiza hisses, letting a roar build up in his throat.

Is that all his subjects did? Strike down anything they deemed weaker than they? Striking down creatures for what!?

They paused, filtering as a pitched growl answered him, heading to the nearest platform and sitting obscenely still.

Scared of him, that's all they were capable of doing.

Dear Wyrm, what had he done under Her influence??

He shook it off and kept climbing and climbing, breaking apart platforms or thorns that prevented him from moving forward.

He had to stop at one point, stopping in a tiny area that looked far too similar to his previous prison with a similar broken glass window and a pathway that was too small for him to even crawl.

Keiza peaked out the glass, hoping to find something he could either break through or climb. Staring straight ahead was nothing but more fauna and concrete, and if memory served him right, it would be a long dig before he could even hit an open room. He huffed, glancing to the side before glancing up, there were thorns and tiny Mossfly's flying about in an open space that just seemed to keep going up. Finally, Keiza could see a platform far ahead surrounded by thorns.

So he gritted his teeth and climbed up, slashing and breaking away the thorns till he reached the top platform. Some grass and a Mossfly that darted to the thorn’s hiding beneath the brush as they stared at him in fear. Keiza could faintly see a metal disk and broken glass lying about, curiously poking at the item before stepping back and looking up. The thorns that lied there were thick, lick it was a thick row of thorn instead of a concrete platform.

Tentatively, he raised a claw and broke through, seeing the faintest hit of concrete. Hopefully, there was an area above.

Luckily, he broke through the next opening area.

Keiza glanced around, there was a sea of thorns all around him before he spotted a Duranda with a spiky shell that was just glistening with infection as they beat their wings pathetically slow. They hovered in place, between a tiny platform and another platform heading into another area. He hopped through, ignoring the trail of thorns as he landed on the tiny platform.

The poor Duranda practically squealed in horror and flew themselves over his head farther into the room than Keiza could fathom.

Huffing out sadly, he clambered onto the platform to leave. Except there was a small stone -that looked to have been cut down- standing in his way. Thankfully, Keiza hadn’t even needed to break it apart. Not being lodged into the platform itself, he was able to push it off the edge, watching as it feebly bounced off the thorns and landed just a TikTik’s breath away from the platforms.

By the time he makes it to the Crossroads, Keiza is tired, exhausted and very careful of the creatures around him that just seem to grow and grow. Small creatures he can vaguely recall and some that are so vivid Keiza could remember them fondly.

He's close to the top, he can feel it in the way the call gets louder and louder, gently urging him above. With a quiet huff, Keiza rolls his shoulder and hops, claws digging into the sides of the room that just seem to rise higher and higher.

He clambers up the platforms in the Crossroads, claws digging into the sides and ignoring the now infected Gruzzer's and the small Tiktik's that are mindlessly wandering the platforms around them.

By the time he passes the infected Vengefly, Keiza gets another vision. Something was curiously poking his mind, he doesn't get a chance to brace himself when he sees the Radiance in all her glory.

For the first time, he actually sees the tyrant for who she was. A bug, larger than any he's ever seen, flying above the tiny ghost with their nail glistening with pure ore.

She screeches, her wail of anger seemingly echoing in the room around him, bugs of all kinds falling to their knees as Keiza himself struggles to stay standing.

" _INSOLENT THING!"_ She screeches, orbs of gold forming around her. _"YOU WILL DIE, PERISH LIKE YOUR WORTHLESS FATHER- DIE! DIE!_ _ **DIE!"**_

Abruptly the image snaps off, and Keiza is left panting and sweating, fear shaking through his limbs.

Her entire presence reeked of power, of strengths he couldn’t even begin to _fathom_. Really, Keiza should have noticed it the first time round considering she had more than just a clawful of bugs beneath her grasp. She nearly had the entirety of the King’s kingdom beneath her tendrils.

And the little one was against her- all alone in an area Keiza had never seen before save for dreams. He had to swallow the bile steadily rising in his throat, shakily walking over to the entrance beneath Dirtmouth.

The opening is just big enough for him to crawl through, with enough breathing space for him to bounce back and forth with relative ease.

When he reaches the surface, Keiza sees bugs.

A lot of bugs.

Husk Guards, a Watcher Knight, the Dung Defender, a Husk Miner, a Vessel with a bubble of Infection still growing on the back of their skull, and so many more that Keiza couldn't even see.

There's also a small bug that looks vaguely similar to the little one he had met. Except they're loud and swinging around a flimsy nail like they could cut down a god. One of the bugs, a Husk Guard, simply kicks them to the side and looks back like nothing had happened.

He wonders why they are there, wonders why all of them are focused on a single area.

But when he climbs up, ignoring the fearful looks the non infected give him, he realizes why.

There's a surge of warmth, of absolute defiance and determination that sweeps through his body. It urges him to look up, to see what others are seeing safely.

When Keiza moves closely to a Guard, he turns following their line of sight and freezes.

There's a stone of the Radiance a fair bit away, but it's glowing an impossibly bright orange.

When he glances at it he can see, he can see the circle of white nails dancing across his vision, see the straight lay of nails coming in through the left and right with only a small opening between them.

He can see the Radiance grow frustrated, furious with every attack missed.

There's a shift in the air, and Keiza blinks as something new pops in from the entrance to the Crossroads.

It's tall, with horns a dull orange-ish white. Cracks clearly mark their mask, breaking down from their eyes that just barely peak over down to beneath their chin.

He watches as the Infected Vessel painstakingly crawls up, their single arm digging into the floor.

As much as he wants to go over and help them, The Vessel manages to clamber up, standing high despite the infection and hemolymph dripping off their bug.

They waste no time hobbling over, head already turning to stare at the Radiance's glowing statue.

Keiza isn't sure why they're all there, he wonders if they had all felt that warm gentle pull.

But he can't be bothered too much to care.

He raises his eyes to the top, wincing when the Radiance's blinding light begins to shine brighter and brighter.

 _"I DO NOT FEAR YOU!"_ Shrieks within their minds and suddenly Keiza can feel the infection boil in his skin, rising higher and higher until he's kneeling over and coughing.

It's hard to breathe and the infection is swirling in his throat bubbling to the point he's sure it's cooking him from the inside out. Like he inhaled acid and proceeded to gargle it instead of spitting it out like any sane bug.

His thoughts falter and wave, images of killing bugs is strong, the thoughts of killing everything and everyone around him is so strong that Traitor Lord nearly stands.

But the pop of bubbles arching across his back doesn't let him move, claws of other bugs pressing him down, screaming at him, demanding he stay _put._

His sisters, the other Mantis Lords, are yelling at him, nails pointed at him demanding he _stay._

But Traitor Lord can't, she can't stay. She needs to move to dart around to stay _alive._

Wails and screams surround the area and it's getting harder and harder to stay in one area that she can’t help but curse her own stupid diligence of moving the infection to her puppets limbs and joints.

There's a pull, a claw that has Keiza shaking and trying to get as much air as possible. Something dark and warm wrappings its tendrils around her and pulls her away from his head. Even as she flails, digging into anything and everything she can to stay put.

Keiza flails slightly, claw digging into the metal bench and clenching until he can pull himself up, shakily trying to gain his bearings. There is wailing, crying from other bugs fighting against the infection, fighting against her urge to stay.

Yells from the Infected Vessel whose just sobbing, curled up and writhing in agony.

To Keiza's own wails just barely muted to his own ears.

Everything burns.

It burns so damn much that Keiza is nearly willing to just give in to her reign.

And it pauses, just barely.

His eyes snap open and he greedily inhales hair, sobbing just slightly to claw at the burn in his throat.

Keiza feels his head turn, snapping towards the still bright statue of the Radiance. And slowly, before his very eyes.

It crumbles.

Stone dribbling off the mountain as the orange glow fades into a soft brown and then into the dull pale stone it was before.

The Radiance is ascending, the image of her flying away desperately overtakes his mind.

She's bruised, cuts and gashes spilling hemolymph everywhere as golden globes fly across his vision at a rapid pace.

Then a nail hits and she screeches in pain.

His vision is cut short as Her wails of pain begin to shower all in Dirtmouth. Bugs rising their heads to stare at the crumpling form of the statue.

She's still screaming and her wails cut off harshly.

The infection bubbles in his throat, and Keiza leans over to vomit.

The infection dribbles down his chin, ranging from being entirely painful to feeling like nothing but spitting out water.

Other bugs are retching and his sisters back up disgusted.

Then it stops. The infection flails to a stop. Dribbling down his chin like water. Any infection still in his body feels like mush in his stomach and blood in his veins.

For a second, Keiza braces himself, ready for it to start up again, ready to feel it roar and writhe in his body once more.

Except it doesn't.

He feels the warm tendrils of darkness soothe the aches in his body, a faint cooing reaching his ears before it pulls away.

When Keiza opens his eyes, the tinge of orange is gone. Everything is a deep blue, flecks of green and gray are glistening brightly.

The gasp echoing his throat isn't painful. Just gritty from lack of use and the metal bench beneath him is too cold to touch but he grips it like a lifeline.

The wailing is gone, the whispering is gone.

Keiza can breathe.

He can move.

He can see.

Gingerly, Keiza closes his eyes. Images of Freya, of his baby girl begin to bounce in his head.

He had forgotten her for a short time.

And now she was back.

The Radiance is gone.

She’s gone.

A sob bubbles in his throat, but Keiza refuses to let any more tears fall.

So he rises, stands tall and faces the crumbling statue.

With as much defiance and air he can muster.

Keiza roars in victory.


	5. Just a Trick of the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I won't stay here for long." Keiza concedes, if only to temper the little one's anger. "I just need a talk with my sisters for a moment."

His throat hurts.

It hurts to the point that Keiza wants to stop.

But he doesn't, he just wants to keep up with his roar as much as he can. He's running out of air, and he can hear other bugs join in on his call. They're excited, more than excited, but ecstatic to be free from her reign.

His roar teeters off into hysterical laughter, laughter that bubbles up from his gut and it's so much harder to breathe that way that he's gasping for air every few seconds.

Slowly, he falls to his knees, leaning against the resting bench in an effort to anchor himself.

Then the laughs turn into sobs, thick tears threaten to fall down his face but he's so tired of the tears.

He's free.

By the gods, Keiza was finally free.

He feels someone practically slam into the bench beside him, feeling the soul begin to build up and encase their body.

When he glances up, the once Infected Vessel is leaning back. Blankly staring into the sky and ignoring the void spilling down their mask.

Keiza's unsure if they're injured, unsure if they're at all alright.

He turns away.

Shakily, he brings himself up to his feet. Glancing around as he watches bugs of all kinds begin to rejoice and embrace each other.

He can't find his sisters.

Had they left?

"Traitor Lord." He winces at the name, scrunching his nose up in disgust as he glances down.

The Little one stands tall, and now that Keiza isn't filled to the brim with infection she looks far more familiar than ever before.

"Hornet." He grunts out, ignoring the scratchy feeling in his throat.

Keiza remembered her. He remembered her when she was less than a foot tall with a nail about as tall than she was. Gifted from her father, if he recalled correctly.

He remembered her challenging them to a battle, back when the Eldest of his sisters was the only one who was willing to fight outsiders.

Remembered how she tangled herself in so much silk that Vatina nearly busted a lung. She had been laughing so hard, while untangling the little one, she even went to tell her mother what had happened days and weeks after it all went down.

Hornet had been a furious little fighter back then and it seemed that nothing had changed.

Even then his memory was a bit skewed, by the time he met her, Keiza was on the brink of insanity from the infection.

There was another bug behind her, standing tall and puffing out her chest bravely. She was very clearly there to help Hornet if anything went wrong.

"Why are you here?" Hornet snaps, stamping a foot down as she drags her needle across the floor.

He pauses, rolling his shoulders to ease the stiffness he feels.

_Why was he here?_

"I don't know." He shakes his head. "I just felt… it felt as if I should be here."

She hisses, cloak flaring and- wow she had a short fuse.

"I won't stay here for long." Keiza concedes, if only to temper the little one's anger. "I just need a talk with my sisters for a moment."

"Your… sisters?" The tall one, Iselda-, asks cautiously, draping a claw onto Hornets shoulder.

He nods his head, looking around. He hadn't seen them earlier but he was so certain they were here.

_Hadn't they been?_

"Traitor Lord," Another grimace and he fights against the twitch in his neck. "Your sisters…"

Iselda trails off, and Keiza can't help but feel dread start to form in his gut.

_Were they dead? No- no that couldn't be right.._

"They're not here." Hornet huffs angrily. "They were never here!"

And he blinks, slowly.

Never…

Never here?

But he had seen them hadn't he? Stepping away from him as he spilled infection?

"Ah." He can hear himself mutter, and closes his eyes in pain. "I...I see."

What had he seen? Why had he seen them? What was even happening anymore…

He clears his throat and straightens up, stepping back as he glances at the entrance to the Crossroads.

"I… I'll leave."

He had to leave. That meant his sisters were still at the village weren't they? Back home to take care of their subjects.

Hopefully they were alright, hopefully that had not suffered under Her light like he had.

No-

His sisters were strong… they would never.

Not like him.

"You shouldn't go." Iselda's voice causes him to turn, staring wide eyed at her stern look. "Don't do this, don't do this to them."

His mouth is dry, and once upon a time he would have agreed.

"They are my sisters." Keiza sighs. "They deserve to know the truth."

Hornet steps up, nail at the ready and claws spilling with forming silk.

"I can tell them," She juts up her chin high, a defiant look in her eye. "I can tell them everything."

"No." Hornet shrinks back at his glare, "No you won't."

"We can tell than Traitor Lord." Iselda pushes Hornet behind her leg, claw splayed out to stop her from moving forward. "Don't bring your sisters this pain. Don't make them hope."

Keiza hisses slightly, hackles raised.

"Do not mistake my sister's for fools, Iselda." He snaps. "As much as I wish this could be pushed aside I am well aware of our traditions thank you."

Keiza steps back, breathing in sharply. Iselda and Hornet warily stare at him, but he could care less at the moment.

"I am their brother in the end." Keiza finally breathes out. "If it's anyone's responsibility to tell them _anything_ … it's mine."

They stare at him, and Keiza finally stumbles back.

Stumbles away.

Away from them all.

Just before he can crawl into the entrance of the Crossroads, he feels a pull. Gentle and comforting.

He pauses and turns.

The Vessel stares at him, soft and just as easy as the little one from before.

 _"Keiza."_ His name bounces in his head, and for a second he realizes the Vessel is speaking to him _"Good Luck."_

It seems the Vessel pushed their voice to all those around them, as Hornet and Iselda are staring at them in confusion.

But Keiza nods, dipping his head low.

"Thank you, Vessel." They huff loudly, tiredly and simply nod their head as they look away.

_Had that Delicate Flower always been on their head?_

Keiza hums, a little more at ease as he enters the Crossroads.

Now to his sisters

_Dear gods, his sisters._


	6. The Fear I Wrought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You are not welcome here."

There's a heaviness in the air.

A heaviness and a lightness.

 _It's strange,_ Keiza muses as he walks along the crossroads this time around.

Before, he had been moving too fast, too focused on heading to Dirtmouth to really see anything that would and could have changed during Her reign. Maybe he was too infected to notice anything different, maybe she prevented him from seeing what was there or fed into his imagination so he could pretend everything was the same...

But now, as he gazed upon broken stone and tiny creatures, Keiza could really see the damage the infected had done. Not only to him, but to everyone and everything around him.

Small creatures skittered back and away, many still struggling to hack up the infection buried furiously in their lungs. Others, wide eyed and confused, floating or walking about numbly as the infection drained away.

He watched as previously Infected Vengefly’s screeched at him, trying to haul bodies suddenly four times larger than they last remembered. One of them slammed into the wall just beside him, screeching and squealing in confusion and pain as they were unable to accommodate for their new size and weight.

It was jarring.

His own body was bigger, far bigger than any standard mantis. he

His own father had never reached his heights-

Keiza shook his head, easing his way across the crossroads and wincing when a bubbled infection popped with a hiss.

By the time he had wandered into the Fungal Wastes, Keiza had passed so many sick creatures that he was reminded of the beginning of Her terror.

He wondered, idly, why he thought the Fungal Waste creatures would be any different. Many of them were too weak to let out a spore, wincing at the dull orange powder that echoed the area around them.

Keiza remembered the powder being a pain to walk through, not that it was any more friendly or appealing to walk through. Luckily the acid pools seemed to attract the infection to its surface.

Unluckily, there were open acid pools.

He didn't know why there was so much acid around, many of them so small that he stepped into it on multiple occasions. What had happened to the slugs that cleaned the smaller pools away? Where were the regulators? Had they died among the infected? Or had they become infected themselves?

Keiza hissed, waving off acid from his leg before continuing his trek.

Slowly, spored stones and mushrooms turned into steady concrete and spikes.

_Why, in the void’s dead names, were there so many spikes!?_

He remembered the occasional spike here and there, mostly to wane off intruders who had no idea how to nail bounce off them.

But this was _ridiculous._

Keiza growled, shimmying just far away enough from the spikes that he could get through and-

_Fuck._

He winced, huffing when his shoulder clipped a spike.

All of this?

_**Sucked.** _

Keiza continued forward, reaching areas where he knew his previous subjects would avoid.

Except now that he reached even closer to the village he noticed something odd.

Pausing, he stared at the abandoned corridor, noting mushrooms sprouting again.

Which was ridiculous- they shouldn't be growing within the village so why-

There was a clatter behind him, the sounds of claw striking the ground clear in the silence of the village. He hoped to the White Lady, that it was just a mantis and not an intruder.

Turning swiftly, Keiza held up his own claws loosely, ready to either run or fight.

Instead, he found himself face to face with three other Mantis'.

The three of them stared wide eyed at him, voices caught in their throat as he kept his eyes trained on him.

He froze, unsure of what to do or what to say.

_Did they believe he was infected? Did they not hear the horrid retching from the other infected creatures? Did they not believe he was free?_

One of them, the one closest to the ground and presumably the one that struck their claw, straightened their back warily, puffing out their chest as they held their claws tight in a fighting stance.

Keiza swallowed the dry feeling in his throat, dropping his own claws to a looser setting.

_He wasn't there to fight, he would not fight, he couldn't-_

The action didn't seem to help them, as the fighter quickly dropped their stance and scrambled away, claws and bodies slamming into the other two awkwardly as they sprinted away.

Raising a claw feebly, he watched as they ran and ducked behind a corner not too far away, choked noises escaping their lips as they struggled to stay quiet.

Keiza struggled himself, trying to say… anything- that came to mind.

Except he couldn't, his mind uselessly replaying the fear in their eyes and the horror in their bodies. Replayed how they ran and hid.

From him.

Mantis' were proud creatures that never backed away from a fight.

But now…

_Dear Gods, what had he done under Her?_

Slowly, Keiza stepped back, twitching at the sharp inhale of air before he continued his trek to his sisters.

And now that he was paying more attention, his diligence did nothing but sour his mood.

His subjects, the very ones he had sworn to protect so many years ago, hid from him.

He hadn't seen any run, not after the first three, but he could see their curious faces peeking from around corners. Some hiding within the stone and shadows upon the roof. Other closing off rooms with soft clicks to avoid him ever seeing them.

But Keiza could hear, and he wondered how awful he must have been to have his subjects to fear him.

_Gods, what had he done?_

Closing his eyes, he lumbered forward, getting closer to the throne room.

Keiza heard the nail scratching against stone before he ever saw it, turning swiftly just in time to feel nail bite against his chitin. Barely scratching the surface but enough to make him wince.

He scrambled back, dashing away and turning quickly to see what in the void hit him.

Mouth dry, he stared wide eyed as his sisters stood tall.

Dark, imposing, and far taller than his illusion of them back in Dirtmouth.

The eldest, Vatina, pointed her nail at him.

Pointed her nail at his throat.

"You are not welcome here."


	7. Hand Over Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time they would have been safe, but the warriors had always taken outsiders as enemies until they earned their place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter, not only was this one kicking my ass, but i had been busy with work :')

Spear pointed at his throat.

Glaring eyes tracing his every step.

If Keiza knew this was how it would go, he would have left it up to Iselda and Hornet.

_That's not true, it was never true._

Vatina kept her nail trained at his throat, slowly inching forward with the grace of a Mantis Lord.

Mantis Lord.

The title he was supposed to have.

The title the Radiance stripped of him.

"Traitor Lord." Vatina hissed, "I advise you leave, lest you suffer more consequences."

He wanted to speak, wanted to open his mouth and say something.

Anything.

And yet…

He found himself standing stock still as he stared at his sisters. Waiting, pleading for anything familiar.

Except they weren't.

All of them were taller, horns elongated and eyes different shades of green. Their own weapons were different, spears instead of nails meant for stabbing at a distance, and yet Keiza could also see the curves within them meant to be thrown.

_Hadn't they used their own claws like he had, oh so long ago?_

Vatina hissed, both Caria and Giosa falling to fighting stances.

It barely took him a second to realize what was happening before Caria's Spear bit into his shoulder.

He let out a small grunt, reeling back from the hit. Hemolymph spilling out from the cut, tainted with an ugly dull orange that clung to his blood.

For a moment, Keiza was just glad he didn't have to see that bright orange infection any longer.

_Still-_

"We advise you once more, Traitor Lord." Giosa flips her lance nimbly through her claw.

"Leave without harming a soul." Caria reaches over and yanks back her spear, a scowl on her lips, "and we may spare you."

The spew of hemolymph makes Keiza stumble back, hissing in pain and breathing heavily through his nose.

When he glances up, he doesn't see his sisters.

He sees the Mantis Lords in all their glory.

And Keiza…

_Keiza was a traitor._

He paused, carefully looking his older sisters in the eyes, and rose. They tensed, spears carefully aiming at him, following his every move.

"You never," He rumbled softly, finally dropping his head to stare at the floor. "Ever… treat a traitor kindly."

Keiza hadn't needed to wait for anything, feeling the bite of Vatina's lance dig into his skin mere moments after he spoke. It was more than just a glancing slice, and he had to jerk slightly to the right to outright prevent it from digging into his abdomen.

Still, he watched as his sister jerked out of range, planting her foot onto his left arm and using him as a momentum to jump back.

He slammed on the floor rather harshly, hissing before Caria and Giosa kept that momentum up with slices across his sides.

_Well-_

Vatina came at him again, spear held high and darted down. He stood still, gritting his teeth beneath his mask and trying his hardest not to block or scramble away. She missed, slicing through his mask and cutting into his cheek. A small gash forming and beginning to sting.

_**-Fuck.** _

Caria and Giosa appeared from behind, Giosa using her spear to pin his cape down while Caria aimed for his stomach.

He's only lucky that his thick hide protects his soft insides, and that Caria's angle made it so her spear had only bounced off his stomach and not actually impaled him.

Keiza was strong.

Stronger than any of his sister's could ever hope to achieve without years of training.

He was bigger too, taller and wider than any Mantis in their entire village.

He could squash them.

Turn them into nothing but guts and hemolymph if he so pleased.

He could do it.

Keiza rose up, disposing the spear pinning him down and kicking it away, scrambling up and back away from his sisters.

Caria darted from beneath him, catching the lance that bounced off his hide as Giosa raced to catch the spear he kicked away. Both of them caught it within seconds, standing by Vatina and holding their lances ahead of them, waiting for a move he was going to make.

He stumbled back, trying to find his footing before stomping a foot down.

Keiza roared.

He roared out his pain, roared out his frustration and sorrow.

His apologies and dismay.

Keiza roared, and did nothing more.

_He would never raise a claw._

His sisters staggered for a second, clearly startled by his yell before falling into line, darting around him and whittling away at his hide, hemolymph spilling with every new gash and cut they made.

And he couldn't care.

Keiza was done- done fighting, done screaming and done scaring the ones he was supposed to protect.

_Still- dying at his sister's hands was horrifying, but comforting in a way he couldn't fathom entirely._

Another bite of cool metal in his skin nearly made him cry out in pain. The ore wrapped around their spear was a sharp contrast to the nail that had beaten at his hide days ago.

It was far more painful than he could have ever remembered it being, prior to his infection.

Well.

He only had to live with this a few more minutes.

Suddenly, there was a small subtle shift in the air, a warm comforting pulse within his body that reminded him of the pull he felt on his way to Dirtmouth.

Amongst the sound of metal hitting his hide, and hemolymph dripping to the floor.

Keiza heard the gentle pitter patter of someone walking.

Someone _small._

He looked up when he felt Vatina push away, turning to follow her stance when he noticed something.

No.

_**Someone.** _

The little one -the one who had gifted him the flower, the one silent as a ghost- was walking into the village, absentmindedly swinging around their nail as soft chirps echoing the room.

The little one.

An outsider.

An outsider in Mantis Village.

Once upon a time they would have been safe, but the warriors had always taken outsiders as enemies until they earned their place.

And the Mantis Lords were dealing with a traitor.

Had it been any other situation, they would have been fine.

Had they come in before or even after Keiza had entered the village they would have been fine.

And yet-

Keiza stared in stunned silence as he watched Vatina race towards them, for the first time slipping slightly and using her spear to hold her balance.

She was… she was heading towards the little ghost.

_No-_

Caria and Giosa stopped their barrage of attacks, trying their hardest to get around him to the little one, slipping up on the hemolymph they had spilled.

_No._

They were racing towards them, the little ghost looking up for a second and frantically grabbing their nail, only to have it slip from their grasp before it clanged against the cold unforgiving concrete.

They would probably be too slow to lift their nail again.

_**"NOOOOO!"** _


	8. The Flower in My Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So he focused, focused any and all soul he had into boosting his speed, ignoring the empty feeling starting to fill his chest. He darted forward, slipping past two of his sisters and starting to catch up to the third.

_**"NOOOOO!"** _

The scream tore itself from Keiza's throat, startling his sisters enough to stop and stare at him.

He couldn't say what overcame him, was it because the little one had been so friendly to him? Was it because they shouldn't die because of bad timing?

Was it because they were so small, so young to be anything more than a child just aimlessly wandering around?

It didn't matter, nothing mattered because there was a _child_ walking in the middle of a brutal fight.

And Keiza was tired of innocent bonds being tarnished by bloodshed.

Ignoring his bruises and cuts, ignoring the hemolymph dripping down his body, ignoring every single ache of his muscle that just _begged_ him to stop- Keiza dashed forward. Pushing himself to the absolute limit to reach even farther.

Keiza wasn't fast, he was not the fastest of his sisters and he knew for a fact Giosa could out speed any of them, any day.

That didn't stop him from pushing.

So he focused, focused any and all soul he had into boosting his speed, ignoring the empty feeling starting to fill his chest. He darted forward, slipping past two of his sisters and starting to catch up to the third.

Vatina turned her head to stare at him, eyes widening for a fraction of a second before she snarled, twirling her lance around her body to swing at him.

Keiza hissed, bringing up his claw to clash against the metal of the lance, harmlessly letting it bounce off the chitin of his claw just long enough for him to dash by her.

Maybe he had done it a little more forcefully than necessary, judging by Vatina's stumble and slow recovery. Not to mention the sudden harsh ache of his claw that seemed to just scream across his body.

_Oh well._

The little one stared at them curiously, just as he managed to wrap his body around their small form, grunting when he slid a little farther than intended.

Tiny squeaks were heard, gentle pats hitting his chest were quickly drowned out by the sound of a lance digging into chitin.

He hissed, grunting when the pressure began to add on that single point.

"Let them go." Vatina demanded, pressing the lance harder with every second that passed by.

When he didn't say a word, or move to acknowledge the words she said, she dug in deeper, till the cool metal of the lance was no longer piercing only his chitin, but the soft flesh beneath as well.

By the gods was the painful, if Keiza had been a lesser bug he would have fumbled. For fuck’s sake, Keiza was a lesser bug that hadn’t healed all too well from his last fight. If it wasn’t for the little one...

"Dammit Traitor!" Vatina hissed, her voice wavering slightly. "Let Them Go!"

She slammed a foot on his back nearly pushing him over.

The little one squeaked in surprise, jolting at the sudden movement. Keiza felt his insides boil, wincing at every twitch that moved the lance.

"LET THEM GO!" His sister's voice was touching on hysterical, pulling the lance back and slamming it hard against his shoulder, using it's blunt edge to hit him. "LET THEM GO!"

Finally Keiza raises his arm once more, claw gripping against the biting nail and pushing as hard as possible to fling it away.

It goes spiraling off, knocking the weapon away from his sister, before he stands, dashing forward slightly. Twisting, he glares at them, a growl rushing across his throat as he places his claw around the little one, desperate to protect them.

Vatina freezes, but Keiza doesn't care, he can’t afford to care and loose focus.

"I don't care if you kill me." He hisses. "I do not care if you string my insides across the village, I do not care if you erase every bit of history about me from the minds of your subjects. I will not care if you decide mercy should be given to me- A traitor amongst our kind." He took a step back, feeling dizzy and faint. "But don't you dare- _don't you fucking dare_ , lay a _claw_ on this child."

The silence was deafening, none of his sisters moved, freezing despite the way Keiza pointed his claw at them.

_Threateningly._

"By the White Lady's grace, I will not allow you to harm them," His growl comes back. "I do not care if you are my sisters. _You. Will._ _ **Not.**_ _Harm. Them_."

The silence rings out clearly within the caverns of their village. The echoes of his final words beginning to ring in his ears, the words are oddly familiar but not in a way he remembers.

Not yet.

No one moves for a second, before Keiza shakily pulls away, turning around and away from his sisters. He has to leave, get away and resist the urge to fall and pray his sisters would keep the little one safe.

His body is sore, his legs are weak and Keiza is so tired of it all.

"I'll leave, and return without the little one." Keiza concludes softly, trying his hardest to make his voice heard.

The little one squeaks, staring up at him with their blank faced mask, curious and confused clearly being shown through their posture.

He lets out a tired smile, bringing up a claw to rub the child's back ever so gently.

"I'm sorry little one, let us go."

But they shake their head, pointing at his sisters and making grabby hands with their tiny claws.

Keiza doesn't get to say a word, wincing when they manage to slip out of his grasp and rush over to the Mantis Lords.

He lets out a hiss of surprise, watching tensely as Ghost runs to them, ignoring his sisters tense and dumbfounded posture before they pick up something.

They race back, dashing with void before they're holding up the petals of a wilted flower.

_Wilted-_

Keiza blindly reaches for the top of his head, plucking off the stem and blankly watching it fall from his claws in dismay.

They coo at him, waving one of the petals.

"I'm sorry, little one." Keiza sighs, glancing at them in exhaustion. "I'm afraid I ruined your gift."

But they wave a hand, almost dismissively and lay a petal in their palm. The feeling of soul rushing around them is clear as day, as Keiza watches them make a new flower from the best looking petal they could find.

_Had soul always been able to do that? He couldn’t remember._

They squeak happily, waving it around in delight as they hand it up to him, hopping in an effort to put it back in its place.

So Keiza ducks his head, closing his eyes and lets the young one place the flower back on. There’s a small rush of warmth at the realization that the flower is back in place. For a second, he pretends that the wounds on his body ache just a little less.

"Thank you." Keiza very gingerly opens his eyes, smiling beneath his mask as they squeak triumphantly.

There's a brief silence as the small one waves their arms, demanding -without words- to be held.

There's the barest hint of a chuckle that Keiza struggles to smother down. They need to leave. They need to leave and leave now before his sisters decide ‘ _to the void’_ with the both of them.

He scoops them up, holds them tight and close and prepares to leave. It’s a comforting gesture, one so simple and smooth and he resists the urge to think anymore on _that._

"Keiza."

Keiza twitched, freezing in place and barely flicking his eyes towards the side.

For a moment, he felt the urge to sprint away, to dash away and not look back.

Instead he turns, sullen eyes tracing his sister’s every move.

Vatina is staring at him, having not moved from her position from when he batted away her lance. Caria is the only one slowly walking up, eyes holding onto his stare despite him glancing past her to watch as Giosa fidgets in her spot.

“Keiza?” Caria repeats softly, like its a name she hasn’t heard of in a while.

_How long had it been?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking long, this chapter was not worth it imo and hopefully next chapter comes back sooner :D


	9. Spilled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I did nothing." Keiza admitted numbly, closing his eyes and dipping his head. "I don't know what happened to the infection."

"Keiza…" Caria stepped closer, eyes unbearably wide.

Keiza shifted in place, glancing past her to his other sisters and looking back at the exit. Uneasily, he looked back at her, nodding his head.

"Caria." He murmured firmly, ignoring how thick his voice had gotten.

Whatever he had done seemed to break the walls, tears immediately erupting from his sisters eyes as she darted to him, wrapping his arms around him as sobs began to reach his ears.

"Keiza! Keiza!" She chanted, like if he hasn't been real.

It didn't take long for Giosa to follow through, abandoning her spear to race to him.

She said no words, just shakily breathing and curling her claws around his practically destroyed cloak.

Keiza swallowed, shifting and letting the little one sit on his shoulders before he gingerly wrapped his sisters in a hug, ever to careful of the sharp edges still edging across his claws.

Their warmth was something he missed dearly, recalling nights when they would hold him close after a rough day. His body ached as he basked in their momentary love, trying to hold back his own tears.

There were near silent steps in front of him, practically hidden beneath the sobbing of Caria, had it note been for a brief moment of silence. Looking up, he watched as Vatina slowly stepped forward, arms loose and eyes widened in disbelief.

She stopped just before them, out of reach and ready to back away at a moment's notice.

The little one chirped in his ear, dragging Vatina's attention for a second, before she turned to him. Her facial expression frozen in its near blank disbelieving stare.

"Vatina." He croaked out, swallowing back that thick feeling.

She choked, a garbled noise spilling from her throat as the barest hints of a cry tore from her throat. She brought up a claw, covering her mouth and closing her eyes, clearly trying to regain her bearings.

When Vatina opened her eyes again, they were shining with unshed tears, but her expression molded to a more firm look.

"Keiza," Vatina's voice pitched slightly. "How… how did you…"

Her expression fell, confusion and barely shining hope starting to peek through.

Caria's sob hitched as she pulled back to stare at him, clearly not able to say a word but wanting to hear. Giosa tugged at his cloak, blank eyes still staring at the floor.

Keiza was suddenly overwhelmed, the reminders of Radiance barely itching its way into his mind.

His sisters were fine and safe, none of them had fallen to her like he had.

_They were safe._

_They were safe and **alive.**_

His mouth ran dry as he wordlessly snapped it open and shut, unsure of what to say.

"I did nothing." Keiza admitted numbly, closing his eyes and dipping his head. "I don't know what happened to the infection."

"Then only you are free?" Giosa tugged at his cloak again, ripping a small portion of it. "For how long? I cannot… I cannot see you go under that again Keiza."

"You won't," He shook his head. "I don't know how she left, I cannot even begin to fathom but…"

He paused, shifting uncomfortably and looking up, leaning back in an effort to look at all three of his sisters.

"But I felt something…" Keiza paused, trying to find any words he could use. "At first, she had receded in my mind just enough so I couldn't harm the little one." They chirped happily. "She had pulled back enough so I could regain control, but not enough. I don't know how much time had passed before she pulled as much infection as she could to save herself. I received glimpses of a fight before I was urged into Dirtmouth."

"You went to Dirtmouth!" Caria's' head shook in disbelief. "But there is nothing up there!"

"There was when I went," Keiza blinked. "Infected Bugs of all kinds from all over Hollownest appeared in Dirtmouth… it's where we witnessed the fall of the Radiance."

Their breaths hitched, surprised coloring their features as they tensed. Clearly, it was something they did not expect.

Not that Keiza could blame them, hearing her final cries felt like nothing more than a dream to him.

But he was free, so she must have been gone.

The little one kicked they're tiny little feet, seemingly delighted by their reactions.

"If… if the Radiance is gone," Vatina's face seemed to fall in horror. "Then the Pure Vessel-"

"Is free." He finished that statement, cutting her off from any conclusions. "I watched, I watched the infection drain from their body, I watched as they clambered into Dirtmouth."

His sisters paused, pulling away from him and stepping back. Keiza did not blame them in the slightest, still slightly shocked by his own admission.

He knew someone fought the Radiance and won. He remembered seeing them fight.

But Keiza wouldn't remember for the life of him, who he had seen. He couldn't even remember the shape of their nail.

"Then-"

"I don't know." He shrugged at Giosa. "I remember seeing someone… but I can't remember who."

His sisters hummed uneasily, glancing at each other and at him.

Keiza felt the unease settle in his stomach, he hadn't thought of it before. If something had defeated the Radiance, who knows what that creature was capable of, if they had the will or the fight to enslave Hollownest like she once had.

_If they would be more successful at taking everyone._

The little one squeaked at his side, urging him to turn to look at them.

The vessel clambered to their feet, hopping off his shoulder.

Keiza felt panic, vaguely recalling their face plant into infection, before he reached out in an effort to catch them. Surprise coloring his features when his sisters reached out too.

Instead, the little one dashed out of their grasp, turning into void to slip through his sisters.

Wings sprouted from their back, large, white wings with vaguely familiar golden tendrils tipped at their edges.

Flapping once, they spun in mid air. Seemingly delighted as they're void covered them for another dash.

Except that wasn't what happened.

Keiza watched in complete shock, mouth dropping open as the little one went from a tiny creature to a massive void being, slits beginning to appear on their face as they practically covered the whole room, easily bigger than any creature Keiza had ever seen.

His sisters let out strangled noises, jumping to his side in surprise, unable to tear their eyes away from the dark creature.

The Void Being very slowly opened their eyes.

All eight of them.

Very gingerly they ducked they're head, careful of their twisting horns and began to stare at them.

_Unmoving._

_**Unflinching.** _

Keiza swallowed roughly, feeling sweat begin to build up at the back of his beck.

"G-Ghost?" Vatina's voice sounded strangled.

They Void being turned to her, still unblinking.

There was a brief pause, and they began to wiggle. All eight eyes closed as they began to shake happily, deep chirps echoing their form as dark voided tendrils whipped around carefully.

They were the little one.

Is all but appearance, they were the little one that Keiza had protected.

Ghost?

"Ghost?" He called out hesitantly, nearly flinching when they turned to look at them, head tilting as deep curious chirps echoed around the room.

That was the little one alright.

"H-how?" If he stuttered, none of his sisters called him out on it.

Ghost paused, chirping before they closed their eyes.

Suddenly they snapped them open, bright lights encasing the whites of their eyes. Bringing up their void tendrils, they very carefully touched the ground. The tips of their void began to burn white, the black void receding as they brought their tendril up slowly, a white streak being left behind.

Before Keiza could question anything, the white streak snapped open, images of the Radiance fight beginning to show.

It was images he could remember, the sight of Ghost in their tiny vessel body fighting the radiance with ease.

This…

_This couldn't have been the same vessel that burst into tears when he fought, right!?_

The images began to fade, faintly showcasing Ghost turning into the giant Shade they were in now, before consuming the Radiance.

That explained their light…

Keiza watched on in shock as Ghost receded to their tiny vessel form, chirping lightly and dashing back and forth, alternating between a regular and void dash as their wings sprouted with every other hop.

The tendrils of their wing were similar to the Radiance's tendrils.

_Oh…_

_**Oh fuck…** _

"Ghost defeated…" Caria numbly pointed her claw at them.

"Consumed…" Giosa corrected, just as numb.

"It took them awhile to beat us…" Vatina hummed uneasily. "They fell asleep… how could…"

Keiza stared in confusion.

The Ghost that barely beat his sisters.

The Ghost that barely beat him.

Had been the one to defeat and consume the Radiance like it had been nothing.

And now they were happily dancing around, easily pleased by their actions.

_Oh…_

_**Oh shit.** _

His head felt like it was full of moss as he was unable to tear his eyes away from the practical baby vessel, a vessel that was actually a giant shade being that consumed the very creature that enslaved an entire _kingdom._

Keiza opened his mouth clumsily.

"Ghost… did you consume… The Radiance and her Light???" It was a stupid question, a very stupid one judging by his sisters slow turning of their heads.

Ghost didn't seem to mind, turning to him curiously and nodding their head excitedly, obviously proud.

"Little one," He soothed, stepping forward. "That's not a very good thing to eat. Come," He picked them up, smiling slightly as they delightedly flapped their arms. "Let's get you something much tastier."

"Keiza, what the **fuck**." Giosa blurted out, surprise coloring her voice.

He turned back, sheepishly shrugging his shoulders.

Keiza rested his chin between Ghost's horns, still reeling in his disbelief and only being briefly distracted by the absolute bundle of joy in his arms.

"The Radiance must lack a lot of nutritional value, being made of light must make her rather disgusting. Maybe a Vengefly meal will do, or the creatures of Deepnest. They make hearty meals." He turned away, walking away from his sisters. "The infection wasn't very good so we'll avoid previously infected creatures."

_**"KEIZA!!!"** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Quick note!
> 
> feel free to check out Gardens of the Heart (and the Flowers They Bare) it's a ride along story to this one and will be updated alongside :D it's in a series with this story :3
> 
> thank you!


	10. Food for Thought?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tiny Vessel seemed to be curious about everything, from the concrete of the tables to the thin wood of their chairs. They glanced about eating their vegetables and meat rather enthusiastically without any fuss.

Feeding Ghost was an easy task it seemed.

The tiny Vessel seemed to be curious about everything, from the concrete of the tables to the thin wood of their chairs. They glanced about eating their vegetables and meat rather enthusiastically without any fuss.

What Keiza didn't know was that their mask cracked open, a little slit appearing as if it were their own mandible, tiny fangs peaking out. Nothing about their mask changed, and Keiza wasn't even sure if that even was their mask or if it was truly the tiny vessel's face. He couldn't recall if the Pure Vessel was the same way when they were younger, but at this point he pushed that thought away.

What did it matter? They were eating.

Kicking their tiny feet, Keiza hummed thoughtlessly, bringing up a rag to wipe away some juices that splashed onto their face.

His sisters sat by his side, less surprised by their mysterious mouth appearance, and instead focusing intently on him.

"Keiza…" Vatina poked his arm with a claw, right on a forming bruise.

Not that he winced, but _ow._

"Yes, sister." Keiza quirked an eyebrow at her, ignoring her glare for a second.

"What do you plan to do now?" She leaned over the table, tapping her claw and giving a glance to their sisters.

Whatever was passed between them wasn't a calling that Keiza recognized, but Giosa and Caria stood up rather slowly, exiting the room quietly without a word or glance back.

Ghost followed them with their eyes, squeaking out to them in confusion.

They tried racing off, but with a quick swipe, Keiza managed to reign them in by their cloak ignoring their large mossbug like eyes as he deposited them right back on the table.

"Uh, uh, uh," He scolded lightly, pushing forward their plate. "You need to finish eating first."

Ghost scrunched up their face, mask following the creases before they- _sadly_ \- went back to eating their meal, this time forgoing their utensils in use of their tiny claws.

He rolled his eyes, glancing back to Vatina who gave him a ‘ _really’_ look.

"Don't judge me you." He poked her shoulder. "As for what to do after, I'm unsure, possibly head back to the queen's gardens to make sense of my subjects there, cut down the thorns and rebuild from there. By all means i am still not allowed to be here, only by your generous hospitality am i-"

"Oh enough of that you," Vatina bit back with no real venom, sullenly sinking into her chair. "I'm unsure if you remember but you weren't allowed back so long as you were still infected… frankly it was desperate of us to add that stipulation when no one thus far had broken out of her reign but…"

 _But just in case_ , he understood.

Sighing, just a bit lighter than before, Keiza nodded, quirking a small smile at her.

"Can I ask why you attacked me so easily then?"

"Other than your ugly mug parading about?" She snorted, chuckling a bit harder when he glared at her before sobering up slightly. "Have you seen your reflection Keiza? Drenched in hemolymph, eyes still orange, stains of the infection on your mask and claws? It's a bit difficult to think otherwise…."

He glanced down, noting the orange stain and hummed.

"Okay… noted. A shower is needed."

"And a trip to the hot spring." She jabbed his bruise again, this time harder as he winced. "But I'll have you know that's not what I was referring to."

With another hum, Vatina pointed at Ghost, who was greedily trying to shove their face into the small plastic cup filled with water. They held the cup with both claws, making heavy breathing and loud gulping sounds with every slurp of water.

"I'm sure their parents are looking for them." She murmured softly. "You cannot keep them."

"They are not an item to be kept." Keiza shot back quickly, defensively. "Honestly, I'm unsure of what to do. What kind of parent lets their child roam around Hollownest with no supervision, during an infection no less?!"

Ghost perked, curiously looking at him and tilting their head. They quite noisily slammed the cup down, chirping.

Reaching over, Keiza carefully rubbed his claw over their head crooning to ease their worries.

Ghost eased up instantly, chirping in content before going back to their small amount of carrots that they delightedly played with for a few seconds, chomping on them.

For a child that made such little sound, they sure were noisy.

"I suppose I should look for their parents first, chew them out, and then deal with my subjects." Keiza struggled to think about that for a second. "Ghost is quite strong for one so young, stronger than any of us apparently, I'm not afraid of leaving them alone but…"

"Chew them out for all of us." Vatina grinned, slapping his shoulder. "Go clean up and take a dip in the springs to heal those disgusting wounds on yourself. Me and the girls will watch over the baby."

"I doubt they're a baby." He rolled his eyes, squeaking in shock when she pushed him off the chair with her foot, sending his much bigger body careening. "VATINA!"

"Go clean up." She shooed him away, easily picking up Ghost in the process. "Stop being stinky, right Ghost?"

Ghost chirped, looking at his sister then at Keiza, watching the large mantis scramble up.

"I'm going, I'm going, I shouldn't take long." Keiza grumbled, resisting the urge to childishly stick out his tongue.

"Take long, please take long for the sake of everyone's sense of smell." Giosa slipped from behind him, practically skipping over to faun over the vessel.

"And those wounds, your sores are an _eyesore_." Caria grinned, ignoring the resounding groans from her siblings and instead focusing on the delighted chirping from Ghost.

"How disgusting, absolutely terrible Caria, I disown you." Keiza shook his head, finally turning away in defeat as he threw his claws up. "Fine, Fine I'm leaving. Off to wipe away the grime from my chitin."

"Good!" His sisters chanted in sync, laughing at his groan.

It was oddly familiar and the sound made his heart ease up just the slightest.

"You see that Ghost? Say bye bye to Papa for now!" Vatina stage whispered, grinning when he turned around abruptly, wide eyed and confused.

Ghost chirped, raising their right claw and curling their fingers in a bastardization of a goodbye.

Before Keiza could say a word his sisters left in a flourish, shit eating grins on each of their faces.

Keiza was left alone in the room, the sound of a door closing barely bringing him back to a numb form of reality.

Oh…

_Oh **fuck.**_


	11. To the Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Bite me!" She growled back, barely sparing him a glance before her gaze was back on Ghost, "and you," She angrily points her bruised hand at them, swiping the other back to her side. "Where have you been!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes, I am back! and yes I was dying :D! 
> 
> I got Sick, just a cough but because I have a chronic cough as well, it basically rendered me useless.... Don't worry! I did get better and I'm getting Meds for it :3
> 
> Oh! btw!! I made a blog for Hollow Knight Specifically! feel free to follow me @flower-of-a-ghost on tumblr! I'm gonna be posting some absolute shitpost of AU's and some doodle concepts for this series as well :D

Leaving the Village was one thing.

Leaving the Village with Ghost was another.

Keiza watched, amused, as Ghost practically sprinted across the fungal waste, using their distance to play with the mushrooms for a bit before Keiza caught up. Oftentimes, he'd catch them chirping at some other creatures, waving their nail in hello before darting past them.

Or maybe it was supposed to be threatening, Keiza couldn't be one hundred percent certain about it anymore.

They had left on the pretense of finding Ghost’s parents, but whenever Keiza asked, Ghost would simply point at Dirtmouth. He wondered if that meant that he had already met the supposed parents when he was up there, wonders if they were infected.

Keiza lumbered on by, eyes darting to keep an eye on Ghost to make sure they didn't get into too much trouble. They seemed to know where they needed to go, darting into tunnels and little hallways that Keiza was sure to have missed.

It only confirmed his thoughts that Ghost had traveled Hallownest alone.

Ghost squeaked, narrowly grabbing Keiza's attention as they scrambled onto a higher ledge, motioning up to the beginning settings of stone.

Everything had a pool of acid on nearly every platform, though his grumbling wouldn't do anything about it.

Ghost hadn't seemed to mind, happily popping on the tiny platforms that could support their weight while Keiza went the long way around, hooking his claws on the ledges of the area above before pulling himself up.

It was when they were almost all the way up when-

"GHOST!" Keiza let out a shriek, thrashing to unhook his claws as he saw the tiny bug slip and fall.

_Right into a pool of acid._

With a harsh grunt, he ripped his claws back, stumbling to right himself before stepping forward. He wasn’t fast enough to catch Ghost, only catching the backlog of acid that left a small burning on the areas of his claws it touched.

“Ghost!” Keiza called again, fighting the urge to jump in and help them.

Most bugs weren’t built to fight off the acid, at best, a full-grown bug could survive a dip like that into an acid pool. But Ghost wasn’t a full-grown bug, they were a tiny bug that had no wyrm-damned _right_ , to be anywhere near these-

There was a squeak, and looking down, Keiza found Ghost happily floating at the top of the acid, their tiny cloak fanning out and floating just above the surface, strange marks glowing green as a similar mark faintly glowed on their forehead.

He could only watch in stunned silence as Ghost hopped out of the acid pool onto their previous platform, white wings with golden tendrils flapping furiously as they tried to scramble on. Reaching over, he gently pushed them atop, letting them squeal in joy as they rolled.

"Well aren't you just a bundle of surprises." Keiza breathed out numbly, smiling faintly when Ghost rolled over to look at him. "Alright, come on, bug, we should keep going."

They squeaked, scrambling to their feet and hopping higher, pausing every few minutes for Keiza to catch up.

The Crossroads was very similar going up as he went down. Except this time, the tiny vengeful bugs were tiredly curling up on each other, far from the pathway they needed to take and away from attacking them, leaving a pleasant and wide opening.

It was a wonder watching Ghost easily crawl their way up, their own claws gripping onto the side and hopping up higher and higher. This seemed like a familiar song and dance that they were used to taking, not even pausing to glance at him as they dashed onto the next platform.

It was also amusing to see that, no matter how skilled they seemed to be, Ghost had a bad habit of overshooting the platform by just a bit from a mindless dash. They didn't seem or sound frustrated, just a tiny bit relieved when Keiza gripped their cloak and held them close before they could fall down any further.

Instead of letting Ghost back down, Keiza let them sit on his shoulder, earning confused squeaks which quickly turned into delight when he rushed his way up.

Something about this, about watching after Ghost and hearing them laugh was so painstakingly familiar, so guiltily familiar, that it made Keiza wonder what he was willingly forgetting.

_He knew, by the gods, He knew, but he couldn't think about that just yet._

Ghost whistled, pointing at the chains that led up into Dirtmouth.

Keiza rumbled uncomfortably, the last time he was there was…

_Well…._

It wouldn't be fun, that was for sure.

Regardless of his feelings, he carried on, crawling up the walls much slower than he had the first time before he felt the bitingly cool breeze that belonged to the above-ground area that was Dirtmouth.

When he peeked over, he was surprised by the ant that stood there, one who startled with a scream before holding a shield before them, claw gripping at the hood on their neck as they hastily slapped it over their head.

Keiza blinked slowly as the ant let out a slew of expletives, reeling back just in time to miss Keiza's claw gripping at the edges to pull himself up.

"Stop! I won't let you-" The bug trailed off just as Keiza pulls himself to his full height, absolutely towering over them. "P...Pass."

The ant’s mandible dropped, nearly dropping their shield before hastily diving to grab it. Fumbling slightly, their bright wide eyes never left his towering form.

Not that Keiza cared, not too much anyway.

There was a shuffling on his shoulder, and with a passive glance, Keiza watched as the little one peaked over, chirping loudly at the bug below.

And _that_ seemed to throw the other bug out of their stupor.

"Ghost!?" The look in their eyes could be described as nothing short of incredulous, eyes darting from Ghost to Keiza with subtle shifts of their face. "What are you-!?"

"Ghost?" "GHOST!?"

Two more bugs, one that was extremely familiar…

"GHOST!" Hornet screeched, cloak puffing out as she spun her needle into view. "HOLD ON I'LL-"

The other bug made a strangled noise, eyes wide and unable to tear his eyes away from Keiza's towering form. Keiza knew that one, but from where? Where-

Keiza didn’t even have a chance to flinch before a string of silk wrapped itself tightly around his left horn. Hornet jumped, tipping his head as she sailed towards him, needle gleaming in the light of the Lumafly lamps.

Before he could even utter a word, confusion still clear in his mind as Ghost darted to his other shoulder, mask as blank as the day he met them. Their nail appeared from the recess of their void, pale ore shining as the sticky blackness of void peeled back.

Nail met needle, clashing harshly and clanging loudly in his ears before Hornet fell back, surprise clear on her face.

She scrambled, tangling in her own silk as she bodily slammed into his side, spewing curses. Ghost chirped, reeling back their nail just as the other two bugs rushed towards him, hands splayed out as if wanting to catch the cursing Hornet but unsure of what to do.

All the while Keiza stood there stewing in confusion, wincing at the odd angle his head was forced to rest out due to the silk and Hornet’s added weight.

"Is this what bugs do normally?" He couldn’t help but ask, sparing a glance at Ghost.

Everyone froze, voices caught in their throat as they stare wide-eyed at him. Ghost didn’t seem to mind, either way, shrugging with a squeak.

The snort that echoes his throat is enough to send the two bugs back a step while Hornet’s tangled mess swung aimlessly mid-air.

"You," He poked Ghost slightly in the stomach, grinning at the delighted squeal. "Little bug, might have a better chance at helping the Deepnest child if you were on the floor."

Ghost squeaked again, wiggling their legs and patting his claw obnoxiously, using their own tiny claws to grip on tight. With a small roll of his eyes, Keiza gingerly swings them down, lowering them onto the floor as their squeaks lightened in excitement.

No one makes a move as Ghost is gently placed, switching from staring wide-eyed at the little bug and up at him, clearly unsure of what to do. Ghost spares them a glance, head tilting slightly as a chirp echoes their void. Just as dramatically, they turn, cloak flaring as they stare at Hornet.

There's no warning when Ghost jumps, practically leveled with Keiza's chest at the peak before they take a soft swing of their claws, cutting through the silk wrapped around the red-dressed child.

Hornet drops, just like a stone in acid, right onto the two other bugs. Her momentum dragging them down just as Ghost landed, leaving them in a new tangled mess practically enunciated by the silk.

"GET OFF-" "-STUPID LITTLE-" "-WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE!"

Their combined screams were practically pronounced by their waving limbs as each of them hastily tries crawling out of the little ball they had become trapped in. Keiza couldn't stop the chuckle, which only seems to encourage Ghost to squeal in delight, laughter echoing their tiny body as the three struggle even more.

When Hornet manages to stand, her cloak flares in time with her angered huff. Her silk clings to the edges of her fabric, sapping both the bugs on the floor in the face, as one swings to land between her horns. She stepped forward, ignoring the pained yelp of one of the others, and rapped her knuckles hard against Ghost's mask. Keiza would have stopped her, had Ghost not lazily looked at her, practically smug as she bit out another curse, clutching her wrists tight in pain.

_Still…_

"Easy on the Cursing, Deepnest Child" Keiza warns, eyes narrowing.

"Bite me!" She growled back, barely sparing him a glance before her gaze was back on Ghost, "and _**y**_ _ **ou,**_ " She angrily points her bruised hand at them, swiping the other back to her side. "Where have you been!?"

Ghost chirps, delighted and closing their eyes, prancing over to pat Keiza's chitin.

The other two bugs finally stand by Hornets side, easily nervous but still standing tall. Keiza raises a brow, not that any of them look at him.

Hornet lets out a frustrated sigh

"You were with the Traitor Lord-" She points at him. "This whole damned time!?"

Ghost pauses, glancing at Keiza before shaking their head.

She lets out a strangled wail, fists curled tight and swung them around wildly.

“OKAY!” Hornet barks, splaying her fingers out as she paused. “Then where _were_ you!? After the egg you just fucking,” She blows out a harsh breath, hands darting around the air in an effort to find the word, “DISAPPEARED!”

“Easy Hornet,” The bug with the shield holds up a hand, clearly annoyed.

“She’s got a point.” The other bug, a pillbug, counters.

“I got a point and I’m going to stab my sibling if they don’t-” Hornet’s hand vaguely darts to her needle. “Ghost are you even _listening?!_ ”

Keiza glances down, nervous and worried for the tiny bug.

Only Ghost isn’t even looking at him, they don’t seem to be looking at anyone, staring off into the distance towards the placing of the shops.

A soft chirp echoes the area around them, and Ghost hesitantly steps forward.

Keiza's gaze follows, watching as a large bug lumbers by, gigantic nail practically begging for a fight. They’re not that far off, just a bit beyond the bench and still fairly indecipherable despite their size.

He’s unsure if Hornet and the other bugs see him, but if Ghost wasn’t too certain about this then Keiza wouldn’t take a chance. He steps forward, just a bit behind Ghost, and drags his claw forward, off to the side without shrouding Ghost behind it. He glares, daring the stranger to take another step.

The bugs all silently take out their weapons, needle and nails striking against the concrete as the stranger takes more and more steps.

The first color Keiza see’s is the dull red bandanna wrapped around a white mask. Green eyes dancing in absolute delight but not staring at him. Staring at-

Ghost chirps, loud and excited, void dashing forward and practically hopping along the path, the billow of their wings beating down just before they actually touch the floor.

"My child!" The stranger yells, dropping low and throwing their arms wide, ignoring as their giant nail falls to the side.

Ghost squeals even louder, dashing normally right into the stranger’s arms. Their entire posture screams happy, and the laughs echoing their body as the stranger lifts Ghost into a hug can only be described as pure delight.

Keiza felt the surge of jealousy before anything, shoving it down as far as he can and instead focuses on the growing mountain of lectures he has prepared for this dull creature.

How dare they, how dare this… stranger, leave a child like Ghost alone to fend for themselves in the once infected ruins of Hollownest!

The pillbug steps forward, leaning curiously if suspicious.

‘ _Quirrel,’_ his mind supplies, Keiza remembered him, he used to be Monomon’s scholar.

Quirrel’s eyes widen a fraction.

"Mato?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes i know this Chapter is everywhere! i am sorry my sick addled brain could not focus long enough. I'm pretty sure the ending is more coherent and my usual writing style as opposed to the beginning.   
> next chapter will be fun :) 
> 
> -Maiden Out.


	12. The Warrior, the Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Newsflash, asshole," Hornet puffed up her chest. "Things changed ever since the infection ran amuck, with the infected beings everywhere, it didn't matter if you were a seasoned warrior or a child, they would get you if you couldn't defend yourself."

"Mato."

Keiza knew him, from a time long ago under anothers teachings.

He didn't know him personally, but Mato and some others had passed by and through the Village once upon a time.

Keiza wondered how long it was.

The Nail Master looked up, easily shifting his arm to let Ghost settle on his shoulder. Ghost scrambled forward, twisting semi-awkwardly to settle. Mato held up a claw, carefully waiting for them to settle before dropping his arm entirely.

_Oh, this **bastard.**_

"Quirrel," Mato nodded, gaze drifting over to Keiza, lifting his chin up to actually meet his gaze. "I see the Traitor Lord is here…"

"Mantis lord will do fine you dolt," Keiza growled, stepping forward. "And it would be in your best interest to address me as such."

"Dolt?" Mato's voice dropped a fraction, a glare flitting onto his face. "I have no interest in speaking with a traitor."

Keiza let out a growl, stepping forward as Mato jutted his chin higher.

_How dare he?_

The three smaller bugs behind him fell oddly quiet, not that Keiza cared, fixating his glare on Mato as the words rumbled from his throat.

"Strong words from someone who abandoned a child!"

The Nailmaster’s face fell blank for a second, clear confusion at the strong accusation. It didn’t take long for his face to twist angrily, and now Ghost looked alarmed, switching their gaze from Keiza to Mato.

"You must be mistaken, I would never leave a defenseless child alone, let alone abandon them!"

"And yet I found Ghost wandering alone in the Queen’s Gardens!" Keiza took another step.

Mato instantly puffed up his chest, a scowl flitting onto his face as he stepped forward, hunched ever so slightly with a hand twitching to reach his nail.

Ghost frantically jumped down, waving their tiny claws and squeaking, head swiveling to try and look at both of them at the same time. They both glanced at them, unsure of what to do.

Hornet stepped forward, grabbing them and pulling Ghost away by their cloak, ignoring their scrambling and squeaks.

"Your dads are fighting, let's just step back." She huffed out.

"My m- Monomon would never." Quirrel huffed.

"My mom would." Hornet huffed a laugh. "Not that I'd ever see it again."

Ghost chirped lowly, and if Keiza hadn't been focused on the angry Nailmaster, he'd have been at the little bug's side in a heartbeat.

"Queen's Gard-" The Nailmaster made an awful strangled noise. "Queen’s gardens have been closed off, There is no way that they even managed-"

"I was in the Gardens, how in the- How are you going to tell me that they weren't in there!?"

"I can name a thousand ways you could have met them, but newsflash A- Newsflash _Traitor_ ,” Mato hissed out. “They found _**Me**_ in the Kingdom's Edge, not the other way around, had I had any inkling that they were alone I would have taken charge."

"And they had given you precedence that they weren't fu- that they weren't alone!?" Keiza wanted to grip at his cloak and tug and maybe- just maybe- turn around and slam his claw against the idiot's head.

_Maybe just a little._

"Who the- WHO IN THEIR WYRM DAM- WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD ASSUME A CHILD WAS ALL ALONE!?" Mato waved their hands around. "The area I live by isn’t filled with the most dangerous bugs, but it's definitely a hop skip and a leap to get into my home!"

"A wandering child managed to get into your home and you just," Keiza let out a strangled noise. "You just let them!?"

"I'm a Nailmaster by trade, having a potential student come by wasn't exactly uncommon."

"A _CHILD_!"

"WERE WE NOT ONCE CHILDREN IN OUR OWN RIGHT!?" Mato's face scrunched up unpleasantly, like he had eaten something particularly sour, claws splaying out tensely. "The preface of the matter is, Ghost was very well more than capable of taking care of themselves like the Vessel from long ago. If it is any consolation to you, not that I care of calming your nerves, Ghost had made it clear to me they knew what they were doing."

"A child!" Keiza hissed, reeling back to breathe in sharply. "They are also a child."

"Technically, Ghost is stronger than most people give them credit for." Quirrel piped up, snagging his hoodie to mess with it slightly. "I've seen them wandering around Hallownest and defeating enemies that were roughly 4 times their size."

"They defeated me and realized their own standings of their birth rising from the darkness when their siblings could not." Hornet shrugged, giving a blank unimpressed look at the older bugs. "Ghost came to complete a job, and they succeeded."

"Guys…"

"This doesn't erase the fact that they are a child," Keiza glared.

"Newsflash, asshole," Hornet puffed up her chest. "Things changed ever since the infection ran amuck, with the infected beings everywhere, it didn't matter if you were a seasoned warrior or a child, they would get you if you couldn't defend yourself."

"Guys?"

"While that is true, there were also safe places to protect and save those children." Mato stepped forward.

"Not anymore," They glanced at the scholar, shrugging thin shoulders aimlessly. "I've seen plenty of safe places filled with corpses of the ones that could have been safe."

"Guys."

Keiza felt the cold sweat begin to build up in his neck. The cold horror of realization crawling inside his head.

_How many had he killed beneath her reign? How many children?_

With a rough swallow, he realized, chillingly, that Ghost could have been one of them had he not broken her hold for that brief moment.

"GUYS!"

Everyone turned, staring at the angry ant that was shining some light off their shield, wincing when a stray beam blinded them for a quick moment.

"What, Tiso?" Quirrel sighed, rubbing his eye irritably.

Tiso gave them all a deadpanned look, waving his arms wide.

Curiously, Keiza twisted his head to look around the area, wondering if there was something new.

There was the red tent a bit away that he had failed to notice the first time around, there was an Elderbug cowering away behind the bench with the strange creature waving a flimsy nail.

_Wait-_

He looked around more frantically, twisting around to check on Mato.

The giant bug was similarly confused, glancing around and glaring at things to discern if something was different.

"Ghost is gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while, 
> 
> ask Skye and Teddy, they witnessed me struggling in our chat for a while XD 
> 
> feel free to ask any questions in the comments or ask one on my tumbls Blog @flower_of_a_ghost


End file.
